Skinning machines for meat, poultry and fish products normally comprise an elongated blade mounted over a gripping roll having a plurality of teeth. The blade is held in a shoe means having an interior arcuate surface complimentary in shape to the outer periphery of the teeth on the gripping roll. As the meat product is moved against the blade, the skin is severed from the meat product and passes between the gripping roll and the shoe. The skinned meat product passes above and over the blade.
A problem has plagued the meat skinning operations described above, and that problem results from the teeth of the gripping roll either damaging the meat product during the skinning operation, or sometimes causing a portion of the meat product to also be severed along with the skin. It should be understood that often the skin or membrane does not continuously cover the meat product, and in certain instances, substantial portions of meat without any skin or membrane thereon pass over the skinning blade. Scoring of this meat by the teeth of the gripping roll is very detrimental, particularly to chicken.
Therefore, a principal object of this invention is to provide a blade attachment for meat skinning machines that will cam the meat product upwardly and over the blade while the skin or membrane on the meat product is being separated and pulled between the blade and the gripping roll whereupon the meat product is protected from the teeth of the gripping roll and whereupon the meat product is not scored and is safeguarded from having portions thereof severed by the skinning blade.
This and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.